The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The Army recently announced its sweeping Transformation Initiative, but more than a month later, Congress still hasn't received any details about the plan. Army leaders were on the Hill last week to testify on their 2026 budget and Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis has more on the state of the conversation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Independent regulatory agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission have come under more scrutiny given a recent Trump executive order intended to make them more accountable to the politics of the President. Here to discuss whether this a new problem or a continuation of a trend is the Director of the Regulatory Studies Center and Professor of Practice at George Washington University, Roger Nober.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As the big beautiful bill makes its way through the Senate, budget committees are beginning their markups for 2026 and hearings on other legislative priorities are underway. Here to discuss all of the topics demanding Congressional attention these days is the Deputy news director of Blomberg Government, Loren Duggan.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The data show a steady decline in both the number of Congressional oversight hearings and the number of expert witnesses at those hearings over the last two decades. But is that the only way Congress can ensure that the executive branch complies with the law? Joining me now with more data and recommendations is Senior Policy Analyst, Structural Democracy Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center, J.D. Rackey.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton An objective look at Congress' ability to conduct effective oversight The many topics vying for Congressional attention Why it matters that independent regulatory agencies are really independent See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton A new method to reduce risk in combat medical care The potential impact the Schedule Policy/Career could have on scientific integrity See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OPM recently extended the comment period on its proposed rule creating the Schedule Policy/Career. A group of former senior political appointees from the Environmental Protection Agency submitted a joint letter objecting to the rule on the ground that it could chill experts from providing their best scientific advice. Here with more on their rationale is one of the signers of the letter, former Deputy Administrator and Acting Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration, Bob Perciasepe.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A lawsuit claims the Department of Health and Human Services relied on flawed data to slash more than 10,000 jobs. Attorneys representing seven former HHS employees say the department knew it had flawed personnel data when it carried out a reduction in force on April 1. The lawsuit states RIF notices contained lower performance ratings than what employees actually received or incorrectly listed them as working for certain offices or geographic locations. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman spoke with the partners and co founders of the civil service law center, Jessica Samuels and Clayton Bailey.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department is closing in on some promised reforms to its risk management framework. That's the process officials use to assess cyber risks and certify systems as safe for DoD networks. By the end of July, officials expect to release an outline of a simpler, reworked process for industry feedback. Among the objectives eliminate redundancies in the system and make it more realistic to conduct real time security assessments instead of just point in time ones details now from Federal News Network's Jared Serbu.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In combat medicine, every second matters. A recent multi-national training exercise in Europe tested one new way to reduce risk and improve outcomes. Here with more on that game-changing innovation is the Commander of the 30th Medical Brigade, Colonel Anthony King.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.